High liposomal doxorubicin tumour tissue distribution, as determined by radiopharmaceutical labelling with 99mTc-LD, is associated with the response and survival of patients with unresectable pleural mesothelioma treated with a combination of liposomal doxorubicin and cisplatin

There are currently no available biomarkers for advanced pleural mesothelioma that determine which patients could benefit from a specific chemotherapy regimen. Based on the results of a previously published phase II study, we associated the (99m)Technetium-labelled liposomal doxorubicin (Tc-99m-LD) uptake value (75 % cut-off) with the response rate, progression-free survival and overall survival of patients treated with a combination of liposomal doxorubicin and cisplatin. Patients with tumours exhibiting increased Tc-99m-LD uptake showed better response rates, progression-free survival and overall survival than those exhibiting lower uptake 73.3 versus 15 % (p < 0.001); 6.9 versus 3.2 months (p = 0.033) and 23 versus 6.6 months (p = 0.001), respectively. Tc-99m-DL uptake in tumour tissue could define a set of patients who would benefit from this chemotherapy regimen.